Shaun King stands as one of the most controversial figures, as the activist has a large number of detractors who seemingly overshadow those who support his work. King, reportedly a recent convert to Islam, was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech for an Islamic organization, which has since been canceled.
Shaun King made headlines after announcing he and his wife had converted to Islam just before the holy month of Ramadan, while voicing his support for Palestine amid the nation's conflict with Israel. News of King's spiritual choice sent him trending on social media with the jokes flying at a rapid pace.
King was scheduled to be a speaker in Minneapolis in connection with a fundraising dinner for the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). After word spread that King would be the keynote speaker, CAIR suffered a backlash. As a result, CAIR took the speech off the table in response.
From CAIR's X page:
We have heard the concerns expressed – directly and indirectly – by our community about Shaun King being the keynote speaker at the Annual Iftar fundraiser. We have made the decision not to have Shaun King as the keynote speaker for our upcoming annual fundraising dinner.
This has distracted from the sole purpose of our event—to support the work of protecting and promoting the civil liberties of Muslims in Minnesota, especially in these challenging times. We value your feedback and are committed to ensuring that our focus remains on our mission. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
It does not appear that Shaun King has addressed the CAIR decision.
X, formerly of Twitter, had some thoughts, and we've listed them below.
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Photo: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images/Getty
